# rename(2)

## NAME

         rename - change the name of a file

## SYNOPSIS

         #include <stdio.h>

         int rename(const char *from, const char *to)

## DESCRIPTION

         Rename causes the link named from to be renamed as  to.   If  to  exists,
         then  it  is  first  removed.   Both from and to must be of the same type
         (that is, both directories or both non-directories), and must  reside  on
         the same file system.

         Rename guarantees that an instance of to will always exist, even  if  the
         system should crash in the middle of the operation.

         If the final component of from is a symbolic link, the symbolic  link  is
         renamed, not the file or directory to which it points.

## RETURN VALUE

         A 0 value is returned if the operation succeeds, otherwise rename returns
         -1 and the global variable errno indicates the reason for the failure.

## ERRORS

         Rename will fail and neither of the argument files will  be  affected  if
         any of the following are true:

         [ENAMETOOLONG] A path name exceeds PATH_MAX characters.

         [ENOENT]       A component of the from path does not  exist,  or  a  path
                        prefix of to does not exist.

         [EACCES]       A  component  of  either   path   prefix   denies   search
                        permission.

         [EACCES]       The requested link requires writing in a directory with  a
                        mode that denies write permission.

         [EPERM]        The  directory  containing  from  is  marked  sticky,  and
                        neither the containing directory nor from are owned by the
                        effective user ID.

         [EPERM]        The to file exists, the directory containing to is  marked
                        sticky,  and  neither  the containing directory nor to are
                        owned by the effective user ID.

         [ELOOP]        Too many symbolic links were  encountered  in  translating
                        either pathname.  (Minix-vmd)

         [ENOTDIR]      A component of either path prefix is not a directory.

         [ENOTDIR]      From is a directory, but to is not a directory.

         [EISDIR]       To is a directory, but from is not a directory.

         [EXDEV]        The link named by to and the file named  by  from  are  on
                        different logical devices (file systems).

         [ENOSPC]       The directory in which the entry for the new name is being
                        placed  cannot  be extended because there is no space left
                        on the file system containing the directory.

         [EIO]          An I/O error occurred while making or updating a directory
                        entry.

         [EROFS]        The requested link requires writing in a  directory  on  a
                        read-only file system.

         [EFAULT]       Path points outside the process's allocated address space.

         [EINVAL]       From is a parent directory of to, or an attempt is made to
                        rename ``.'' or ``..''.

         [ENOTEMPTY]    To is a directory and is not empty.

## SEE ALSO

         open(2)